1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to chemical formulations used in semiconductor wafer fabrication and particularly to chemical formulations that are utilized to remove residue from wafers following a resist plasma ashing step.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art teaches the utilization of various chemical formulations to remove residue and clean wafers following a resist ashing step. Generally, these prior art chemical formulations include strong reagents such as strong acids, strong bases and/or highly reactive amine containing compounds. Such strong reagents can cause unwanted further removal of metal or insulator layers remaining on the wafer and are therefore undesirable in many instances. A particular problem with strippers containing both amine component(s) and water is corrosion of metal, particularly aluminum and aluminum-copper alloys. There is therefore a need for chemical formulations which effectively remove residue following a resist ashing step which do not attack and potentially degrade delicate structures which are meant to remain on a wafer.